Join us at Limmud-Oz - with Israeli feminist activist Hamutal Gouri, and 200 other great sessions

May 25, 2015

It’s almost June, and that means it’s time for Limmud Oz!

This year in Sydney from June 6th to 8th, Limmud-Oz has some great international speakers, as well as incredible local presenters. You can view the full schedule here, but we thought we’d highlight some of the speakers and sessions NIF supporters might find interesting.

Whether you live in Sydney, or you're coming up especially for Limmud-Oz, make sure you say hi -- it will be great to see a strong New Israel Fund Australia contingent there!

All the best,

Liam GetreuExecutive Director

Hamutal Gouri

NIF Australia and Limmud-Oz are excited to bring Israeli feminist activist Hamutal Gouri to Australia. Hamutal is the executive director of the Dafna Fund, which fosters Israeli women to be effective agents of social transformation, enhance the collective capacities of the women's movement in Israel, and promotes gender mainstreaming through powerful partnerships between women's organisations.

“Interactive Session: Storytelling for Social Transformation” – Sunday at 9pm

“K'vod Bat Melech P'nima”: Women and the public sphere in Israel – Monday at 1:30pm – Women of the Wall, the "Women Freedom Riders", and the "Big Album of All Male Speakers Panels": this session explores how women in Israel are demanding their right to pray, be seen and heard in the public sphere.

Other interesting speakers and sessions

“Killing Infidels? Attitudes to Goyim? Damnation!” – This session explores how Muslims, Jews, and Christians relate to people who don't share their beliefs, both in practice and in sacred texts. To what extent are contemporary behaviors and attitudes derived from sacred texts? With Rabbi Zalman Kastel, Donna Jacobs Sife, Sheikh Ahmed Abdo and others – Sunday at 9:30am

“Teaching Palestinians about the Holocaust” – In the spring of 2014, Professor Mohammed Dajani Daoudi made headlines at home and abroad when he organised and escorted 27 Palestinian university students to visit Auschwitz and learn about the Holocaust. This was a quintessential experiential learning opportunity for advanced students, but it cost the professor his post at al-Quds University and compromised his personal security. He will address this issue and why, as a Palestinian, he believes it is important for him to teach about the Holocaust. – Sunday at 1:15pm

“How to survive a conversation about Israel” – NIF Australia Vice-President Mandi Katz's session looks at why things are so bad, how standard community discourse isn't helping and what we can to do to improve things personally and communally – Sunday at 6:30pm

“Intermarriage: a problem or an opportunity?” – NIF Australia board member Ilona Lee moderates a panel asking to what extent intermarriage impacts the long term viability of the Jewish community, and whether intermarriage is simply the product of living in a pluralistic and open society that the community needs to acknowledge – Sunday at 6:30pm

“Judaism without Halacha” – This panel features three experts who have devoted a great deal of time and thought to the question of how one maintains a Jewish identity without adherence to halacha. – Sunday at 9pm

“The Jewish conspiracy within West Wing” – Through the eyes of Aaron Sorkin's 'The West Wing', Nomi Blum explores Judaism's take on the various biblical messages presented in various scenes of the series. – Sunday at 10:15pm

“Moderation: The Path to Reconciliation and Peace” – In January 2007, Professor Mohammed Dajani Daoudi established Wasatia, a Muslim moderate movement whose goals are to promote reconciliation in midst of conflict, to teach acceptance and tolerance of others, and to call for justice and peace. It is so far the only Islamic movement in Palestine calling for a negotiated settlement to establish a comprehensive peace based on two state solution. He will discuss what motivated him to do so, what he hopes to accomplish, and how he is seeking to make Wasatia mainstream in Palestinian politics. – Monday at 10:45am

“Challenges and Pitfalls in Community Leadership” – Former NIF Australia President Robin Margo explores recent challenges and pitfalls in Australian Jewish community leadership – Monday at 10:45am

“'In the Image of God': Rabbis, philosophers and mystics on human nature and the Divine” – Raf Dascalu's session maps a millennia-old argument over what it means to be created in the Image of God. Does being created in the Image imply that the Divine has some image, or is even embodied in some sense? Does this teaching refer to some particular aspect of the human being or mind? – Monday at 12pm

“Balancing Israel's democratic and Jewish character - the effect of freedom of speech on Israeli democracy” – I am running a session that takes a critical look at democracy in Israel and where we draw the line between freedom of expression, hate speech, incitement to violence - bringing in historical examples and hypothetical situations – Monday at 5:15pm

“Can History Solve the Arab-Israel Conflict?” – NIF Australia Advisory Council member Mark Baker traces the key historical controversies that underpin the Arab-Israeli conflict and reflect on the role of history as a tool of conflict resolution and reconciliation – Monday at 5:15pm

“Jews Standing Up and Changing the World” – Stand Up CEO Gary Samowitz's workshop will empower people with the necessary skills and knowledge to become active changemakers – Monday at 5:15pm

The New Israel Fund Australia Foundation is a leading organisation committed to social justice, human rights and democracy in Israel. We work with Israelis experiencing poverty, discrimination and injustice to create a more inclusive, tolerant and equal society. Based on the vision of the country’s founders, we work towards an Israel that is “based on freedom, justice and peace as envisaged by the prophets of Israel… [and] complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.”